


Sorry Doesn't Cut It...

by My0wnlittleworld247



Category: Bleach
Genre: AU, Gangsters, Ichigo bound and martyred ;), Kidnapping, M/M, MA, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-10 09:03:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/784264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My0wnlittleworld247/pseuds/My0wnlittleworld247
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gangs sure are risky business. If it hadn't been for a gang, Ichigo wouldn't be in this situation. He wouldn't be bound and martyred. He wouldn't be doing his best not to piss his pants. He wouldn't be moments from death. "Damnit Grimmjow, where the hell are you?" Yaoi. MA. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kidnap

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lunacushadow](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Lunacushadow).



**Sorry Doesn’t Cut It...:**

“Grimmjow... what exactly is this?” asked Ichigo. His voice was calm, but the fire in his eyes betrayed his anger.

“Uh, haha, uh, yeah...” chuckled Grimmjow nervously, a hand reached back to rub his neck, “Um, well, I may not have been... uh, one hundred percent honest with you when we got together...”

“Really?” Ichigo dead-panned, trying not to shift against the coarse rope that held his wrists, “well holy shit Grimm, I wouldn’a guessed it.”

Grimmjow chuckled again, stalling.

“Didn’ know ya had good taste.” Came a voice from the freakishly tall man behind him, startling Ichigo. He winced as the cold metal of the knife bit into his skin, a trail of warmth running down his neck. “I thought ya’d go fer th’ pussy type, all cute an’ mewly shit like that. Boy’s got fire innim, put up a fight. ‘Course I won, but fuck, if it hadn’ a’ been a job, I’da taken ‘im right there.

Grimmjow sobered. This wasn’t the time for that discussion, right now he had to save Ichigo. He set cold eyes on his best— _ex_ best friend, before turning back to Ichigo.

“Ichi... I’m sorry.” he said quietly; face suddenly soft with regret as he looked Ichigo in the eye.

Ichigo froze. Never had Grimmjow _ever_ told him he was sorry. Not _once_ in the seven years they’d been together. “Soz babe”, “My bad”, shit like that, but never _sorry_.

“Grimmjow... if you’re thinking of leaving without me right now, all this guy’ll need to do is let me go to get the job done, I’ll kill you my fucking self.” He warned, stomach tightening. He’d never had as little faith in Grimmjow as he had now.

“S’not what I meant, asshole.” Retorted Grimmjow, but there was no heat behind the words. “...For getting you mixed up in my shit.”

It was Ichigo’s turn to soften. He let out a sigh of relief. He’d seriously thought Grimmjow was gonna up and leg it. What could he say? He didn’t care about that right now, all he wanted was to get the hell out of this place... preferably with his head still attached. He couldn’t exactly _tell_ Grimmjow that though, not with that scary ass gangster holding a knife to his throat.

He’d thought the guy would be a challenge when he’d seen him, but he’d always been confident his abilities. He’d taken Karate lessons for years. He’d been fighting in _backstreet brawls_ for years—that was actually how he’d met his sexy ass boyfriend. But he was no match for the tall fucker... what’d he say his name was? Nnoitra... right, he was no match for Nnoitra.

Well, he _was_ for the first couple of minutes, but Nnoitra wasn’t serious then. As soon as he’d been done playing, Ichigo was on his ass in the mud. He’d been bound and gagged, thrown into a car, and driven to this creepy old warehouse. Nnoitra hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time.

To his surprise though, he’d been ungagged immediately, and this Nnoitra ass seemed to be getting off on his sarky comments or something. The guy just wouldn’t stop smiling!

The tall man had said barely anything to Ichigo the whole time, just dropped a lot of really obvious “hints” and a few creepy comments.

_“Didn’ ya ever wonder where he go’ tha’ tattoo?”_

_“Where’d ya think all those scars came from?”_

_“Heh, no wonder he likes ya, ya got some hot expressions, Cutie.”_  He’d also taken to calling him Cutie. Even Strawberry had to be better than Cutie...

_“Whadja think he was doin’ all those late ‘night shifts’?”_

Ichigo had to admit he’d been wondering about them. It must have shown in his eyes.

_“Wha’? Ya thought he was cheatin’ on ya?” he’d asked, that ever present grin widening. “Ya don’t have ta worry ‘bout that, Cutie. If Grimm jus’ wanted ya fer a casual fuck, ya’d know about it. No way’d he bother with that fake relationship bullshit... he ain’ a good enough actor fer a start.”_

The orange haired man thought about this now, as his boyfriend and captor stared each-other down. He’d got the gist of it. Grimmjow was in a gang or something equally stupid and hadn’t told Ichigo. That part wasn’t the bit that bothered him. What bothered him was his own declining trust in the man. It seemed so obvious now, but he’d had to have _this_ stupid asshole explain it to him like he was a child.

Actually, now that he thought about it, why _had_ that stupid asshole explained it to him? Makes more sense that he’d be all “Grimmjow doesn’t love you! Feel the psychological torment!” ...Then again, he was a stupid asshole after all, didn’t really seem like the thinking type, maybe he didn’t have the _capacity_ for psychological torment...

No. That was wrong. Nnoitra sure is a stupid asshole, but he’s not a stupid person, Ichigo could tell that just from being around him. His speech suggested a lack of education, but his eyes screamed intelligence. Besides, _that_ kind of psychological torment was child’s play, only the real suckers succumbed to it.

Ugh. All this analysing was giving him a headache.

“...Chigo... Oi, Ichigo, you alright?” Grimmjow’s worried voice pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present.

“Huh..? Oh, uh, yeah...” his brain suddenly cleared enough to remember he was pissed off with Grimmjow, “except for this fucking knife in my neck, I’m great, thanks for asking.”

Grimmjow scowled, but flicked his eyes up higher, presumably to meet with Nnoitra’s.

“Ya don’ have to push so hard, asshole.”

Nnoitra’s grin would have widened, if that were possible, but Ichigo’s sarcasm had him smiling to his fullest. God how he loved these two together. They made a killer couple, and Ichigo was actually a pretty funny guy. Seemed like now was as good a time as any.

He pulled the knife away and trailed it lightly down Ichigo’s back, chuckling when both the bright haired idiots stiffened.

Slowly he brought the metal to Ichigo’s hands, the flat of the blade tracing cold circles over the flesh, before swiftly slicing at the bonds that held him.

No one moved for several moments, shock holding Ichigo in place before he darted away, arms free, forgetting about his bound feet.

He hit the floor with a thud, a dull ache erupting over his left side. Nnoitra cackled with mirth at the sight, casually tossing the blade to Grimmjow, who caught it with practised skill. It was their signature move of sorts. It didn’t really do much, but it intimidated the crap out of whoever they were up against.

Grimmjow’s eyes never left Nnoitra’s as he nimbly sliced the rope that held Ichigo’s legs. He knelt at a crouch, ready to leap at any sudden movement from the gangster. Still, Nnoitra’s actions confused the shit out of him. The kidnap for starters made no sense, though he’d attributed it to an order. That was definitely Aizen’s style: One of his little pawns wants out, send his best friend to finish the job. It’s a punishment for both of them, Grimmjow for trying to leave, Nnoitra for not seeing it and slapping some sense into him earlier. And of course, ignoring an order from Aizen was suicide, Nnoitra’d have been between a rock and a hard place. Made him feel like a bit of an ass for putting him in it.

This though... Grimmjow’d never seen Nnoitra give up his weapon in a fight, and he certainly wasn’t a merciful kinda guy.

 What the hell was going on!?

“Ahahaha! Grimm! Yer face! God, yer face’s killin’ me, man!” cackled Nnoitra loudly, the sound echoing off the tin walls, “What’d ya think I was actually gonna betray ya? Fuck, man, ya know me better’n’at!”

Grimmjow felt himself relax, though Ichigo was still tense beside him. “If ya ain’ betrayin’ me, why’d ya kidnap Ichi?”

“Why would I need to kidnap Cutie?” he asked. “All I’da needed to do is call ya over, get ya drunk, and stab ya in th’ back. No need for any o’ this stand-offish shit.”

“Nahh, this was jus’ a little punishment of my own for keepin’ him a secret,” winked Nnoitra evilly, “Seriously man, I thought ya’d gone off sex or somethin’, always runnin’ off whenever a stripper walked in. ‘sides, this kid’s got some moves. Didja think he’d be too delicate to hang with your gang buddies or somethin’?”

Grimmjow scowled at his friend, but fully relaxed. This sounded more like Nnoitra. He turned to look at a slightly more relaxed Ichigo; apparently he believed the tall man too.

Ichigo directed a scowl at Grimmjow, but raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t gonna answer the question, Grimm?”

The bluenet thought for a second before catching on, “What, yer gonna get upset over me not introducin’ you?”

“Maybe I fucking am, you didn’t exactly meet me at a Free Masons convention, ya know.”

“A Free Masons convention? Seriously, Ichi?”

“What? Free Masons are severely misunderstood. They have all those stupid rumours floating about, but really it’s just a bunch of old guys dressing up fancy and doing charity works.” He stopped talking, scowling at the bemused expression on Grimmjow’s face.

“Fine, asshole, ya didn’t meet me at a fairy ball, that work better for ya?” he asked.

“I dunno, ya could’ve done better-“ Ichigo elbowed him in the ribs roughly, pulling a grin to both their  faces, “it’ll have ta do I s’pose.”

From the background Nnoitra started cackling again, sauntering up to the couple to wrap a long arm around their shoulders. Ichigo flinched slightly, but didn’t remove the arm. “How cute, ya gonna tell me the story of how you two met? ‘Less you really did meet at a fairy ball?”

Grimmjow glanced at him, surprised, “Huh, I thought you’d recognise him” he commented, drawing identical confused looks.

“What, I already met ‘im or somethin’?” Nnoitra asked.

Ichigo just scowled to himself, wondering where his boyfriend was going with this. As far as he knew, he’d never met this tall fucker in his life.

“You neither, huh?” asked Grimmjow, turning to Ichigo. “Fine, ya didn’ actually _meet,_ but you were both there. It was one of those bar fights that turns into the whole spectator ring thing. Ya take it outside an’ suddenly it’s everyone’s business an’ they start selling popcorn an’ shit on the sidelines.”

They seemed to get the idea so he continued, “Well, we were together, havin’ a few drinks, when _this_ clumsy asshole spilled my drink on me” he said, jerking a thumb in Ichigo’s direction, “So o’ course I told ‘im to bring it outside. Didn’ think he would, but he had bigger balls than I thought. Anyway, he put up a better fight than I thought he would too, we were pretty much even, I got in some good shots an’ so did he, but in the end I won of course-”

“’Cause you were playing dirty! Don’t make it sounds like I just rolled over and died!” interjected Ichigo.

“Hey, I said we were pretty much even didn’ I?” he said, turning his head back to Nnoitra for support, settling when Nnoitra nodded agreeably. He always had Grimmjow’s back, and Grimmjow always had his.

“Fine, I got in a couple good shots ‘cause you were protectin’ that red head chick, but don’ blame me for that shit, that ain’ playing dirty, it’s just takin’ advantage of a good opportunity.”

Ichigo scowled, “I don’t know what the fuck Orihime was thinking runnin’ in the way she did, like she thought she could help or something... it’s not like I was losing or anything.” He shrugged. It kinda’ made sense, losing or not he’d still taken a lot of damage that she wasn’t used to seeing.

Nnoitra’s giggle cut through his thoughts, and he turned to scowl at him, “The fuck’s so funny?”

“You two’re funny as hell, I can’t believe yer tellin’ me how you met like an old married couple or some shit.”

“Well, we’ve been together seven years...” mused Ichigo, “and if ya think about it,” he said, turning to Grimm, “he’s the only person we’ve told the truth to.” He met Grimmjow’s eyes with a smile.

It wasn’t like he could tell his family and friends ‘Oh yeah, our first meeting was with fists and teeth bared, but it turned me on real good, so we made it work.’ They just told everyone some generic story or other; the only one who knew the truth was Orihime, who Ichigo had sworn to secrecy under threat of death. Well, the death of that teddy bear she treasured so much.

“Wait a bitch-crackin’ second!” cried Nnoitra suddenly, jerking the two back to the real world, “yer tellin’ me you’ve been together SEVEN YEARS, an’ I didn’ fuckin’ know about it!?” he demanded, “Oh yeah, and how the hell am I s’posed ta remember some fight from seven years ago, huh, Genius? We get inta fights all th’ time.”

“...egh, ya know what, forget it, I don’t even care.” He muttered, flapping his hand dismissively, “you coulda’ told me ya had boyfriend though. S’not like I’da eaten ‘im or anythin’.”

“Yeah but then I’d’ve had to tell ‘im all about the gang and-”

“Right, so why the hell _didn’t_ you tell me about the gang?” interrupted Ichigo. He wasn’t _angry_ per se, just a bit pissed off. He didn’t appreciate secrets.

“For this exact reason, idiot!” growled Grimmjow. He may have been the one to keep secrets, but it was for a good reason; Ichigo didn’t need to get snippy with him. “’Cause when you’re in a gang, piss enough people off, and they people closest to ya get targeted first.”

“So you didn’t have to tell them, you could’ve told _me_.”

Grimmjow faltered... that was true, he _could_ have told Ichi.

...Shit.

“...Well...I guess I didn’t think of that.” He mumbled finally.

“...So yer stupider than I thought?” asked Nnoitra conversationally, earning a glare from his blue haired friend.

“Tch, no need to be an ass about--.” Suddenly Grimmjow cut off; he froze for a millisecond before flicking his eyes back to Nnoitra, body stiff and on the defensive as he broke out of the one armed embrace, pulling Ichigo with him.

Nnoitra rose an eyebrow in question, “The fuck’s wrong with _you_?”

“If I never told anyone, and yer not here for Aizen, how the fuck’d ya know about Ichigo?” he asked, voice cold. He’d come to think of Nnoitra as a brother, but he wouldn’t tolerate betrayal, reasonable or not.

Nnoitra sighed, letting his newly rigid muscles relax, “Shit asshole, I thought ya were gonna ask questions later.”

“Answer th’ question” Grimmjow growled.

“Tch, impatient fucker. ‘Course Aizen sent me, he had this whole twisted revenge scene or some shit planned,” drawled Nnoitra, “but th’ stupid fucker didn’ think maybe I wasn’ gonna play along. Prolly ‘cause he ain’ close enough ta anyone ta understand that kinda loyalty.”

Grimmjow stared him down for another second before relaxing himself, appeased.

“...That was deeper than I thought you were capable of,” commented Ichigo from beside Grimmjow.

“Heh, you ain’ seen shit if we’re talking _deep_ , Cutie,” leered Nnoitra with a wink, “I can show ya if ya like.”

Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow nervously; this was usually where he broke the other guy’s spine... but no. Nothing. Not even a twitch.

Grimmjow glanced at Ichigo, suddenly aware that he was being watched, “What?”

“S’Cause he don’ see me as a threat, Cutie,” piped Nnoitra before Ichigo could speak, “We’re past that shit.”

“A real bromance I can see,” muttered Ichigo drily.

“Hey, ya never tol’ me how ya got from kickin’ each other’s teeth in ta fuckin’.” Nnoitra piped up.

Ichigo scowled at the tall man, it was more than just fucking. Well... maybe not to begin with, but still.

“Heh, ya’ll love this bit, Nnoi,” chuckled Grimmjow, “afterwards Ichi came up ta me all shy ‘n shit, n’ said ta me ‘I couldn’ help bu’ notice ya were as hard as me durin’ the fight’,” he said, his unchanged speaking style ruining the intended impersonation. “Then he slipped his hand inta my pocket and hightailed it the fuck outa there” he smirked, “he’d slipped his number inta my pocket when he did.”

His smirk turned into a grin at Nnoitra’s shocked expression, his only visible eyebrow lost in his hairline, the other hidden by a white bandana. Quickly his expression turned from shocked to lecherous as he matched Grimmjow’s grin, a new appreciation for the cutie forming. He loved it when the prey took the offensive.

“Wait, Nniotra, you said Aizen sent you, how long ago?” asked Grimmjow, snapped from his thoughts.

“...’bout half an hour ago. Yer right, we should prolly go” said Nnoitra, making a face.

“What, does Aizen know where we are?” asked Ichigo confused.

The two gangsters gave each other a look... it wasn’t a look that Ichigo liked the sight of. It was a look of two people who had to break bad news and were deciding where to start.

Grimmjow sighed, “...Ichi...” he bit his lower lip, stalling, “Aizen knows who ya are...” he said.

Ichigo gave him a funny look, “So...?”

He sighed again, eyebrows scrunching together.

It was Nnoitra’s turn to give a sigh, his theatrically loud, but still bad newsworthy, “Cutie, ya can’ stay here anymore, it don’ matter if this idiot breaks up with ya er anythin’, long as Aizen knows he once cared aboucha, you ain’ gonna last long where he can find ya.”

Ichigo’s gaze shot to Grimmjow’s, eyes suddenly filled with worry, but Grimmjow looked away.

Ichigo wasn’t having any of that, he gripped Grimmjow’s chin and pulled it toward him, forcing their eyes together.

The red head’s scowl could have curdled milk.

“Is that true?” he demanded stupidly, putting off the truth.

“...Ichi... I’m sorry.”

He ground his teeth. Twice in one night. Ichigo was beginning to develop a serious dislike to that word. Why the hell did anyone _want_ to hear it when they only ever heard it after something bad?

“But my family’s here... I can’t leave Yuzu and Karin...” he protested.

“Yer family’d prolly rather you were alive an’ somewhere else than dead in Kakariko, kid” interjected Nnoitra, “Don’ be a fool.”

Ichigo felt a pair of arms wrap around him, reluctantly he leant into their warmth, resting a head in Grimmjow’s shoulder in defeat.

Nnoitra grimaced at the crestfallen sight before him. He’d never been good with that condolences shit.

“I’ll call ya, Grimm,” he called with a wave as he headed off towards his car, strolling out of sight.

Ichigo lifted his head from Grimmjow’s shoulder, pushing onto his tiptoes like a child to press his lips against Grimmjow’s. When they’d first started seeing each other he’d resented having to do that, but over time it had become something he valued. Even as tall and strong as he was, there was still someone who could make him feel protected.

It sounds like a demotion, but secretly, every hero needs that burden lifted from their shoulders, if only through a kiss.

He opened his mouth into the kiss, reaching his arms to link around Grimmjow’s neck, pulling him closer.

Grimmjow twined his fingers through Ichigo’s hair. For a while there, he’d though he’d never get a change to do that again. That thought scared him more than he’d like to admit.

Their tongues met, passion burning the moist skin. The kiss was slow and hot. Unhurried. The way any good kiss ought to be.

When they finally parted Grimmjow took his hand, lacing their fingers together as he made his way to his car.

This whole kidnapping business had ruffled Grimmjow some, Ichigo noted. He was being unusually affectionate, as though he hadn’t known if he’d ever have the chance again, and was taking full advantage of the fact that he did.

Maybe some good came from this after all. 


	2. The Big Move

**Chapter 2**

“Wait, where are we going?” whined Ichigo as Grimmjow took a left at the busy intersection. The way to their apartment was a right, not a left.

“We’re goin’ ta that hardware place, they give alla them free cardboard boxes out the front.”

Ichigo searched his brain, eventually remembering the huge container that held all the unwanted cardboard boxes from the store’s shipments. “Can’t that wait? Do we really need to be doing this now?”

Grimmjow sighed, “Ichi... we ain’ got much time, we’ve gotta try and get all out shit together before tomorrow morning and get the hell away from our apartment. Aizen’ll have someone on the house soon as hears Nnoitra betrayed ‘im. We gotta be gone before then.”

Ichigo snapped his head around in shock, “You mean we’ve gotta have everything ready to go _today_?” he demanded, more shocked than anything. This shit was moving fast.

Grimmjow flicked him an apologetic glance before returning his eyes to the road. “Hey, ya’d better call yer dad er someone to see if they can help us get out stuff out quicker,” he advised, “liftin’ furniture’ll take time we don’ have.”

Ichigo grimaced but pulled his phone out, skimming through his contacts and putting the phone to his ear.

They pulled into a sealed parking lot, rolling up next to the cardboard box container. He jumped out and began stacking them inside of each other, stashing them in the car. By the time Grimmjow had finished, the entire backseat was filled with tightly stacked cardboard boxes.

The call connected as they drove out of the hardware store car park.

“... Shut up Goat face, it’s me.” Greeted Ichigo.

Grimmjow snorted, he loved listening to Ichigo talk to his dad... it was such a messed up little relationship that he couldn’t help but envy. “Listen... stop being a retard for a second and listen to me! So Grimmjow and I are moving out of our apartment... yeah it’s kind of short notice... yeah, well anyway, we’ve gotta be gone really soon, we’re hoping to have everything done by tonight... yeah, yeah... Okay I get it!... yeah, okay!...anyway, Could you give us a hand moving the furniture and stuff?” Ichigo pulled the phone away from his ear at the response, before gingerly replacing it. “Okay, thanks Dad... uhh, lemme check,” he covered the mouthpiece with his hand.

“Grimmjow, when should he come over?”

Grimmjow was ready with his answer, “’bout an hour.”

The red head flicked a glance at his watch, “about eight... yeah, thanks Dad... yeah there’ll be a few others... ‘kay, thanks.” He hung up with a sigh of relief, glad that _that_ conversation was over. God, was it only eight A.M.? Everything had happened _way_ too early in the morning for his liking.

Grimmjow pulled into the apartment driveway, not bothering to put the car away properly and instantly got to work, starting on their kitchen as dumped the contents of draws in one of the boxes. The thought of having to go through these boxes later on was painful, but they didn’t have time to store everything nice and neatly.

He glanced over his shoulder to find Ichigo on the phone once more, fragments of the conversation drifting his way.

“Who was that?” he asked when Ichigo hung up.

“Renji, he said he’d bring some friends over to help.”

“Seriously?” asked Grimmjow, though he was relieved to hear it, “Does he have no life or something?”

He scowled when Ichigo snorted at him, “No, unlike you, I have friends willing to help out in a tight spot,” retorted the red head, enjoying the narrowed eyes as he joined Grimmjow in his task.

“Nnoitra’s gonna help,” muttered the blue haired man, his scowl only deepening when Ichigo just shook his head with humour.

“Yeah, an’ yer fuckin’ lucky I _am_ helpin’ ya, otherwise yer little bitch woulda been a gonner.”

Grimmjow smirked. It sure helped to have a friend with good timing to prove his point.

“I’m not a bitch,” bit Ichigo, glancing back at the freakishly tall man with slight annoyance.

Grimmjow just rolled his eyes. Ichigo was going to have to get used to that nickname, Nnoitra always referred to his friends’ lovers as bitches.

“Hey, call the removal guys wouldya?” he asked his friend.

It was Nnoitra’s turn to roll his eyes at Grimmjow, “What? Ya think I came empty handed? I brought Aizen’s van, he ain’t gonna miss it.”

“Thanks.”

Nnoitra stood there for a moment more, not entirely sure what he should be doing.

“Ichi, could you go pack our suitcases?” asked Grimmjow. He and Nnoitra had a system for moving, they’d helped each other move that many times. They’d known each other all their lives after all, and when you’re a part of a gang, moving from place to place becomes a necessity.

He didn’t want to sound like an ass, but he could get things done _much_ quicker with Nnoitra than Ichigo.

Ichigo stood up without a word and headed to the bedroom, setting to work on their clothes. Much as it annoyed him, he wasn’t an idiot. It was pretty obvious that he was the third wheel in that situation

Grimmjow sighed with relief when Nnoitra’s skilled hands joined his in tearing apart their kitchen, the tall man cackling at how commonplace Grimmjow’s apartment was. It didn’t look like a gangster lived there at all.

“So why’re ya leaving?” he asked, knowing that Grimmjow would understand what he meant.

The blue haired man sighed, “I don’t know how obvious it is, but I’m serious about Ichigo-”

“No shit?” interrupted Nnoitra with a creepy grin, “Ya wouldn’ know it.”

Grimmjow scowled at him, “Yeah, well you prolly heard before that I haven’ exactly told him about my bein’ in a gang. I was sick of lyin’ to him, an’... I dunno, it’s different,” he said, knowing he sounded like a weak ass romantic, “when ya’ve got someone waiting fer ya, ya’ve got more of a reason not ta die.”

Nnoitra cackled his amusement, “Ya’ve turned inta a pussy, ya know that?”

Grimmjow made a face. Yep. He knew it.

Nnoitra surprised him by continuing, “I kinda like it though,” he said, earning a look of shock from his blue haired partner, “ya’ve always been th’ family type, bu’ bein’ in a gang ya didn’ have any reason ta look fer love er any ‘a tha’ shit. Yer happier now.”

Now Grimmjow was really confused. He’d expected Nnoitra to look down on him. To stay his friend of course, because they were practically brothers, but never had he thought Nnoitra would actually _understand._

The thought had him smiling. That was Nnoitra all over. Making people think he’s a single minded idiot, while actually being one of the most astute people he knew... he’d just assumed that being so close to him, he’d known how to hide it.

Guess not.

“Y’know Yer creepy when ya make that face,” commented Nnoitra.

Grimmjow scoffed, “ _You’re_ calling _me_ creepy?”

They laughed together in good humour. Nnoitra was weirdly proud of how creepy he could be.

Finally they finished with the kitchen, hauling the heavy boxes through the front door in time to see two cars pull up in front of their house.

A man with bright red hair that Grimmjow vaguely remembered stepped out of the first, a busty blonde, a serious looking man with long black hair, and a dainty girl with an oddly shaped bob in tow.

“Woah, that’s one big ass moving van!” whistled the red head, shielding his eyes from the sun as he took in the large van blocking the driveway.

As he admired the vehicle, more people emerged from the other car. A bald man stepped out, followed by a slim man with a dark bob, and a monster of a man with an eye patch and a long scar running down his face.

Grimmjow found his eyes glued to the huge man before him, knowing for a fact that he took up two car seats from muscle alone.

Nnoitra and Grimmjow threw each other a glance when Kenpachi blinked at them in surprise. “Th’ fuck’re you punks doin’ here?” he grunted in surprise. When Ikkaku had told him to come help Ichigo move he hadn’t expected to be meeting two long time gang buddies.

“Well it _is_ my apartment...” Grinned Grimmjow, loving the look on the huge man’s face. Kenpachi didn’t give a damn about Aizen’s orders, and he knew he wouldn’t rat them out. He briefly noted that Kenpachi’s companions were watching them with interest, but ignored them.

Kenpachi turned to the bald man beside him, “Didn’chya say we were helping Ichigo Kurosaki move?” he asked.

Grimmjow’s brows shot together at those words. “How do you know Ichi?”

Whatever Kenpachi was about to say was cut short as a feral grin split his face. Everyone turned to see what had stolen his attention, a few chuckling at the shocked Ichigo standing in the doorway.

His mouth opened and closed a couple times before he finally found his tongue, a resigned expression crossing over his face.“Kenpachi... I’m kinda busy right now, I don’t have time for this.”

Nnoitra was the only one to notice Grimmjow tense. This looked like a case of infidelity is he ever saw one, and he was just hoping the drama party could wait until they’d moved all this shit out of the apartment.

“How d’ you two know each other?” Grimmjow asked dangerously, drawing mixed curious and worried stares from the group.

“Huh? It’s a long story,” said Ichigo making a face, “I’ll tell ya about it later.”

Grimmjow’s eyes narrowed. “So what don’t ya have time for, Ichi?”

Ichigo gave him a funny look, clearly not understanding Grimmjow’s attitude. He was saved from his explanation by howling laughter, Kenpachi’s mouth impossible wide as he took in the scene.

“I ain’t stealin’ yer honey, Grimm,” he assured the man, the bright haired idiots’ relationship finally clicking in his mind, “We just know each other through fightin’ an’ shit.” He turned his attention to Ichigo once more, “An’ don’t worry Ichigo, I ain’t here to fight’cha now, but trust me when I say that I _will_ fight you again.”

Grimmjow relaxed at this. He knew that was a dick move on his part, suspecting Ichigo of cheating, but it had just seemed so... possible. In retrospect it didn’t work at all, but that hadn’t mattered in the heat of the moment.

Ichigo fought back a grimace. Why could this man not leave him alone? “Yeah, yeah, look, we’re in a hurry,” he said, turning to talk to the rest of his friends. “Thanks for coming, I hadn’t thought there’d be so many of you.”

“Umm... most of you know Grimmjow, but...” he trailed off, not knowing if Grimmjow remembered any of them. While Grimmjow held nothing against his friends, they hadn’t become friends also as Ichigo had hoped they would.

Grimmjow understood the reason for Ichigo’s unfinished sentence, scowling at his lack of faith. “I know that one’s called Byakugan,” he informed them with a poking his finger at Renji.

The group burst into laughter and Ichigo set about proper introductions.

Once everyone was acquainted, Grimmjow set them all jobs. Everyone but Yumichika. The slim man had insisted that he’d come for moral support and company, but that he was in no way obligated to ruin his manicure with such menial jobs. The pansy rubbed Grimmjow in all the wrong ways, but he ignored it. They didn’t have time for a fight.

This was going to be quicker than he had initially thought though. He hadn’t expected Ichigo to have so many friends willing to help on such short notice.

As soon as he’d finished giving everyone jobs, Isshin rolled up to the curb, bouncing out the car with his two daughters right behind.

The cute one cried out in dismay, reaching for the now crusted wound Nnoitra had left on Ichigo’s neck.  Grimmjow chuckled to himself, confident that Ichigo could talk his way out of it.

Thankfully Ichigo took over and let him escape. Isshin was cool and all, but Grimmjow had trouble keeping up with his fast paced idiocy.

....

Grimmjow flicked a glance at his watch, the slim hands indicating that it was 6:43. The summer sun was still high in the sky, the warmth pleasant, but overbearing under the strain of manual labour. He’d been carrying and transporting boxes of his and Ichigo’s belongings to and from Isshin’s house for over three hours now, and all the carrying heavy boxes up staircases was taking a toll on his back.

Isshin had been more than happy to store the boxes in Ichigo’s old room until they had found a place to stay, but their furniture had been stored in a small storage locker outside of town.

He stepped out of the car in front of Isshin, where the whole of the helpers had relocated from his now empty house.

He stopped in the door way, suddenly finding himself pinned with the group’s hungry eyes as they took in the five large pizza boxes he carried. They hadn’t been promised anything, but really it was the least he could do for their help. He’d already scarfed four pieces of the oily meal himself earlier.

Grimmjow passed the boxes to the bald one, whose name he still couldn’t remember and headed back outside, phone to his ear. He had a few loose ends to tie up.

...

Ichigo sighed in relief when Grimmjow returned. Nnoitra had been telling him to lighten up for the last two hours; Grimmjow could take care of himself.

Ichigo knew that, but it didn’t matter. He had a right to worry. Grimmjow _was_ being targeted, after all.

He stepped inside with a yawn, the day having taken as much out of him as it had Ichigo. Nnoitra was suspiciously as full of energy as ever though, which only served to piss Ichigo off. Why did he get to have stamina?

“Hey Ichi,” mumbled Grimmjow as he shuffled through the door, stifling a yawn. “We’ve got a flight booked for 5:00 tamorrow morning, so you should prolly go ta sleep sometime soon.”

Ichigo’s faced morphed from tired to incredulous in seconds. “5:00 in the morning?” he demanded, satisfied that Nnoitra didn’t seem too happy about that idea either.

Grimmjow sent them both a glare. “Yeah, no thug’s gonna be looking out for us at that time, so 5:00 in the morning. ‘Less you have a problem with that.” He dared either of them to complain, appeased when they let it go.

“Ichigo~!” came an insufferably annoying voice as Isshin burst round the corner. Ichigo stepped out of the way, and Isshin went flying into Grimmjow, toppling them both to the ground.

“Oh Ichigo! You’ve made your father proud!” he crooned, picking himself off the floor, “your boyfriend on the other hand...”

Grimmjow growled at the bursts of laughter from Ichigo and Nnoitra. He may have been with Ichi for years, but Ichigo usually didn’t dodge, so Grimmjow hadn’t been prepared for the attack to come his way.

“Shut up” he growled.

“Dad, stop being noisy, they must be tired,” scolded Yuzu as he padded around the corner in her pyjamas, carrying a pile of blankets and pillows.

She turned to face Grimmjow and Nnoitra, “I’m sorry, but Ichigo’s room is full of boxes, so you’ll have to have to sleep in the lounge room.” She smiled sweetly at them as she passed them the pile of fabric.

Nnoitra opened his mouth to say something, but cut off when a soccer ball bounced hard off his head, drawing laughter from Ichigo and Grimmjow, and worried questions from Yuzu. “Shut up,” Came the boyish voice of Karin, “just sleep in the lounge room already.”

Nnoitra growled, but it was a growl of appreciation. He’d taken a liking to the spirited little spitfire while they’d worked together that day.

Nnoitra cut Ichigo’s rebuke off, “I wasn’ gonna turn it down.” He informed her, grabbing a pillow and blanket from the pile and plopping onto the couch. “’specially if I’m gettin’ up before five tamorrow.”

His words were met with general agreement, and the group dispersed, Grimmjow and Ichigo not ever bothering to fight over the couch; it was only a one person spot, after all.

The house fell silent quickly, despite it only being 8:30.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think :)
> 
> Personally I’m happy with it, though they didn’t really do much, but I’m always interested in my reader’s opinions.
> 
> Thanks!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry Doesn’t Cut It... I’ll explain the meaning of the title in the final chapter, ‘cause I’m an ass like that.
> 
> Aaand, the text in the description... that'll come in eventually. One of these chapters.
> 
> Cheesy, I know, but what can I say? I like me some cheese sometimes.
> 
> Anyway, this was written for the wonderful Lunacushadow, I hope you like it :) 
> 
> Currently rated M, that’s subject to change to MA, for obvious, yaoi related reasons.
> 
> Please review, I love receiving them, and I always reply!


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